5 Simple Actions You Can Take to Help You Feel Better and Have More Energy

Do you sometimes feel like you are already dragging by lunchtime? Do you feel like if you don’t have that Snickers Bar by 3pm you will never make it until your husband gets home, and you still have to run errands and make dinner for your family? You are not alone if you feel like you run out of steam more than once in a day.

You’re not be alone in feeling like you don’t have enough energy to sustain you throughout the day, but it is NOT a necessary part of your daily cycle! You CAN eat and act in ways that will help you have more sustained energy throughout the day.

Stop and think for a moment … What would you do with an unlimited amount of energy?

Would you follow up on more sales leads?

Would you schedule your day so you could meet your husband for lunch?

Would you volunteer in your child’s classroom?

Would you make dinner from scratch instead of picking up take-out?

Would you get a month’s worth of blog posts written and ready to publish?

I know my list would be endless!

The best part is you CAN have a lot more energy than you do now. Below I will outline for you 5 simple actions you can take to help you feel better and have more energy!

1) Reduce or Eliminate Caffeine

GASP! What did she just say? Yes, I said it. Coffee may make you THINK you have more energy, but it is a false sense of security. Caffeine causes dehydration and blood sugar ups and downs, which make mood swings more frequent. Using this “false energy” is sort of like going to the bank and taking more and more money out but never replacing it. The money you take out once it is all gone is NOT interest free. You pay for it in the end. The same goes for using caffeine to get a false sense of energy; your body is borrowing energy from itself that it does not really have.

2) Drink More Water

Most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Keeping yourself hydrated will help your body respond better to environmental and physical cues. If your body does not have to focus on trying to maintain proper hydration levels, it can help the food you eat process better and provide you with the energy you need. Some helpful ways to get more water include, drinking a tall glass of room temperature or warm water when you first wake up, drinking small cups of hot water throughout the day, sipping constantly. Your body absorbs warm or room temperature water better. You will find that the more water you drink, the more water your body craves.

3) Eat Dark Leafy Green Vegetables

Maybe Popeye was on to something here! Greens are full of vitamins and nutrients and are the perfect foods for improving your circulation, lifting your spirits, purifying your blood and strengthening your immune system. Yes, you can get all that from some spinach! Some wonderful greens to integrate into your diet include kale, broccoli, bok choy, collards, arugula, and of course spinach. I like to make it a personal challenge to have greens at least 2-3 times a week and find new and interesting ways to integrate them into our menu plans. Check out the book Greens Glorious Greens By Johnna Albi for a terrific selection of recipes and information.

4) Engage in Physical Activity

This seems a little counter intuitive at first, but if you think about it for a minute it makes sense. How many of you have experienced that amazing endorphin high after a good workout? Think about a day when you left your desk and took a nice stroll around the block on a pretty spring day. You felt better- you know you did! Not only will your body thank you for keeping it moving, physical activity helps clear your mind and give you more energy. Try it! Start out with just 10 minutes a day and increase from there. Even a short walk will help increase your energy each day.

5) Take Time for Yourself

I know often our day gets so full up from the instant our feet touch the floor that we forget to focus on us. Take time to remember yourself as an individual who likes to go for leisurely walks through the art museum, or someone who lives for high-speed mountain bike rides, or a girl who loves to read curled up on the couch. You schedule time to meet clients, do your marketing and plan a budget. You might even schedule time for you and your husband to enjoy time together, so why not schedule some time for a date with yourself. Recharging by doing something you love to do, sometimes even just knowing that it is coming up on the calendar, can really give you an extra energy boost and help you to face the next challenge in your already hectic schedule.

No one likes to feel bogged down and exhausted throughout the day, but you do not have to! If you start following even one or two of these simple steps, you can begin your journey to having more energy and accomplishing even more of your goals!

What are some things you do that give you more energy? What would YOU do with unlimited energy?

Laurianna Murray is owner of Laurianna Murray Wellness and author of The Curvy Life blog. After making a total life transformation and learning that being healthy can truly become a lifestyle, she is passionate about helping other women lose weight, have more energy and learn how to change their own lifestyle once and for all. She also has a desire to help people in the Bariatric surgery process be fully successful on their journey. She offers in person and telephone health coaching, cooking classes, meal planning and more. You can follow Laurianna on Twitter @LAMwellness and @thecurvylife.